As the State of Massachusetts is considering a ban of youth tackle football, parents and former NFL players rallied on Tuesday to fight the proposed ban.
Massachusetts Youth Football Alliance led the rally at the Massachusetts capitol, urging lawmakers to vote against the ban.
Under the law, flag and touch football would still be permitted at all ages.
The bill would prohibit schools and organizations from allowing children in the seventh grade or younger from participating in tackle football. The law would be punishable by a $2,000 fine.
Former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett expressed his opposition to the proposed legislation.
"As a lifelong participant and fan of the game of football, I've seen firsthand how the values of character, leadership, discipline, resilience and teamwork can play an immeasurable role in the development of young boys and girls that participate in youth tackle football," Tippett said in a statement to NFL.com.
But bill sponsor Rep. Paul A. Schmid III told the Herald News that the bill is about protecting children.
“It’s all about kids’ health and we have a number of studies that say that repeated contacts to the head are very bad for you and the younger that starts, the worse it is,” Schmid told the Herald News . “It seems that if you start playing tackle football in high school, you’re in a much better place than if you started earlier.”
If approved, Massachusetts would be the first state to ban youth from playing tackle football.
